Stephenie Meyer

"I don't really have a preference on directors. Sure, I'd take Steven Spielberg or Ron Howard if I could get them." - Stephenie Meyer

Author Stephenie Meyer has become a sensation in the young adult fiction market with her Twilight series of novels. The saga has sold truckloads of copies to rabid fans, predominately female teens who can't get enough of the love triangle involving an otherwise regular teenage girl named Bella, her vampire beau Edward and her werewolf would-be suitor Jacob. The bestsellers are entitled Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. 2008's The Host is Stephenie Meyer's first foray into adult science fiction.

SEX APPEAL

Stephenie Meyer exemplifies the cute, cordial, young mom-next-door type, albeit a mom with a profitably vivid imagination. We think it's only a coincidence that she looks much younger than her actual age. Or could it be that having gotten into the mindset of teenage characters of her own creation for so long has kept her looking young? It might be some sort of supernatural, vampire-associated thing. Either way, Stephenie Meyer gets our endorsement as cutest current author of young adult fiction.

SUCCESS

With three toddlers in tow and few ideas on how to outline a novel or sell her story, Stephenie Meyer managed to get not just one book she thought she'd have to pay people to read published, but to create a thriving franchise that has sold millions and been turned into a motion picture. While her stories have been compared to J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, beyond the notion that both authors wrote novels geared for a younger crowd and created characters who possess supernatural abilities, there's little else in common. The same could be said for the Twilight series’ sales figures, which may not have matched the worldwide success of Rowling's stories, but have consistently topped best-seller lists. Some of the honors that have been bestowed upon Twilight include being named Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year as well as making the American Library Association's Best Book for Young Adults and Books for Reluctant Readers lists. She's also honored with a "Stephenie Meyer Day," which is celebrated in Forks, Washington, on September 13 (Forks is the small town where her characters reside, and the date is Bella Swan's birthday).

Stephenie Meyer Biography

Stephenie Morgan Meyer was born on December 24, 1973, in Hartford, Connecticut and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, in a large family that included five siblings. She earned a National Merit Scholarship to study English at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, from where she received her B.A. in 1997. She married husband Christian, aka "Pancho," whom she had known since the age of 4, in 1994.

stephenie meyer publishes twilight

The initial inspiration for Twilight came to Stephenie Meyer in a dream she had in June of 2003. From that vision came Chapter 13 of her debut novel, which culminated in her signing a $750,000 three-book deal with Little, Brown and Company. Released in October 2005, Twilight quickly made the Top 5 of the New York Times Best Seller list for young adult titles. The sequel, New Moon, appeared in August of 2006, and led the list for 11 weeks.

Prom Nights From Hell, a compilation of short stories that recounts just what the title suggests, features supernatural tales from the imagination of Stephenie Meyer, Lauren Myracle and others. It was released in April 2007, less than a month before a special edition of New Moon, which included temporary tattoos, a poster as well as the opening chapter of her next novel, hit the bookstore shelves. On the movie front, Twilight was optioned by Summit Entertainment during the spring of 2007.

stephenie meyer's third twilight book is published

Eclipse, the follow-up in the continuing saga of Isabella Swan, Edward Cullen and Jacob Black, saw the light of day in August of 2007. It also spent months on the New York Times Best Seller list. Stephenie Meyer tried her hand at adult sci-fi fiction writing with The Host, published by Little, Brown and Company's adult division in May 2008. Later that month, a special edition of Eclipse was issued, which included T-shirt transfers and a preview of the next book.

Breaking Dawn, the last in the series to be told from Bella's perspective, was released in August 2008. A companion piece to the four books entitled Midnight Sun, written from Edward's viewpoint, is due next. In the meantime, fans of the novels are expected to flock to the cinema in droves in December 2008, when a film version of Twilight, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson and directed by Catherine Hardwicke, is set for release. That same month will also see the release of The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide to bookstores.